This article explores the inclusion of narrative and performance theory and practice in a communication studies classroom. In using their own classroom discourse as a running narrative, students apply theoretical narratives in exploring a complex Middle East story. They deconstruct, reconstruct, and apply theoretical principles to practice using a…

This article discusses a problem teachers encounter relating to how to teach the delicate topics of 9/11 and Iraq war. Five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and in the midst of intensifying debate over the nation's approach to battling terrorism, teachers around the country are trying to determine how, and when, to teach about…

This instruction guide conveys effective strategies for engaging students in small group exercises, brainstorming, discussions, case studies and controversial issues. After emphasizing the importance of the first small group session for setting the tone, the guide advises teachers to appoint groups of two to five students, assigning the most…

This article argues that teaching politically correct language to English learners provides them with important information and opportunities to be exposed to cultural issues. The author offers a brief review of how political correctness became an issue and how being politically correct influences the use of language. The article then presents…

The purpose of this article is to use the vehicle of a controversial issue--abortion--as a means of illustrating the advantages of teaching such issues through a problem-solving method. Discussion ideas and resources are presented. (Author/JR)

Examines Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," written against the background of the Holocaust. Suggests that its theme of mindless and unchallenged tradition, and its corollary theme of control, are meant as a warning that traditions ought to be examined from time to time. (RBW)

Discusses areas related to teaching science-related, value-laden, real-world problems. These include potential/limitations of science and scientific method, how science-based information fits in with other kinds of information, how preconceptions about problems/issues affect scientific problem solving, and utilization of different educational…

Presented is a strategy which uses creationism and other pseudosciences as examples of non-scientific approaches to critical thinking to teach students the nature of science and the scientific method. Examples of the illogic of non-scientific approaches are given along with an explanation of how they can be used in teaching critical thinking to…

Addresses the importance of teaching young people about foreign policy issues. Discusses state sovereignty and interpersonal and international conflict. Describes a reflective teaching approach in which a problem is identified, defined, and explored by probing questions. Suggests identifying value assumptions and alternatives, predicting…

Details some of the current critical arguments concerning Mark Twain's depiction of the runaway slave Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn." Describes classroom experiences teaching the novel and how a reader's cultural background influences reactions to it. Provides principles and caveats for teaching the novel. Lists works about slavery…

Describes the teaching methods and philosophies of three innovative experiential teachers in Boulder, Colorado, who have (1) encouraged classroom debate on controversial topics; (2) encouraged global environmental awareness in junior high science students; and (3) created a truly bicultural, bilingual classroom for primary Anglo and Hispanic…

The purpose of this article is to provide guidance and perspective on the treatment of values and ethics in the classroom in a nondirective, nonauthoritarian way. Discussed are biological advances that have societal consequences, values systems and moral dilemmas, ethical principles, major moral dilemmas, and ethical analysis. (CW)

When evaluating instructional practices, adolescents (n = 128, ages 14-19) coordinated knowledge of epistemology, fairness, and motivation in their conceptions of procedural justice. Adolescents ranked the fairness and effectiveness of instructional practices differently for controversial and noncontroversial topics. They raised epistemological,…

America has been called "the argument culture," but you would not know it from many social studies classrooms. Despite a longstanding tradition in social studies of teaching controversial issues, all too few of today's classrooms accommodate this kind of intellectual activity. Perhaps it is the pressure of high stakes testing, or the emphasis on…

In this paper, we report some reflections on science and education, in relation to teaching and research in the field of complex and controversial socio-environmental issues. Starting from an examination of the literature on the epistemological aspects of the science of controversial issues, and introducing the perspective of complexity, the…